According to documents released by PASOK, Thanos Plevris, Ilias Theodoropoulos, and Ioanna Gaka are listed among the founding members of the association named «Hellenic Medical Council».
Of particular significance is the fact that the three are listed as members of the provisional five-member steering committee, which had filed an application with the Athens Single-Judge Court of First Instance for the ratification of the association’s bylaws, dated June 3, 2012.
Plevris's previous statement
This fact sparked a political controversy because Thanos Plevris, speaking on September 15 about his acquaintance with Ilias Theodoropoulos, had stated that he had consulted him as a hematologist-internist following his serious health scare in 2016.
The minister had stated that the doctor had not recommended any treatment, but rather dietary changes to restore his blood counts. He also mentioned that, when he was informed that Mazonakis had died at that particular clinic, he tried to contact the doctor by phone to find out what had happened.
PASOK now maintains that the 2012 documents show that they had known each other for some time prior to that, and is asking the minister to explain the discrepancy in the timeline, as well as whether he knew anything about the medical practices of the two defendants.
What does Thanos Plevris say?
After the information was made public, Thanos Plevris responded by denying that there had been any professional collaboration with the accused doctor. The minister refers to «speculation» and maintains that membership in that particular association did not constitute collaboration with the doctors. The debate, therefore, now centers not only on whether they were acquainted, but when it began and what exactly the nature of the relationship was between the minister and the two doctors.
At the same time, the criminal investigation into the death of Giorgos Mazonakis continues regardless of the political controversy, with the relevant authorities examining additional evidence regarding the operation of the clinics and the activities of the two defendants.
